written on Thursday:
Yesterday morning I had some bread and cheese for breakfast and headed out to the mountain. lots og fantastic trails to choose from and i chose one mid range in length and difficulty, wanting to see the city a bit after wards.
i was almost late for the bus, the vehicle was there but the driver was not, 15 minutes later, we all boarded. the receipt machine was not working, and a few minutes later, the driver comes to me in the back and hands me a blank ticket as a receipt!
25 minutes later i get off the bus and had 1 k to the view point at peako del ingles, beautiful views of east and west sides of this island, but the clouds hide teide. from here at 960 meters altitude i begin the 7 k descent to the coast. the views are phenomenal, small houses strewn between these steep and hills and La laguna and santa cruz are also visible . at parts i am walking only in a forests and then you get a clearing with a great view.
i kind of follow a little creek with running water, a rarity on this island, and frogs can be heard any time the creek becomes a pond which is often. i didnt see a single frog, only hear them.
after a great 2.5 hours of walking mostly down in these hills , i reached the village of Valleseco and walked for 20 minutes more on the road till i reached the shore. the walk from here was finally flat along the board walk till santa cruz. i passed by tourist information, got a city map and quickly passed through the main sites, a nice city center on the island capital, but definitely not a must, an hour later i was on the tram to La laguna.
after a shower and a little siesta, i headed for old town laguna. in here, several streets are closes to cars, only foot traffic is allowed, in between missions, churches and quality shopping. i walked for over 2 hours enjoying the tranquil streets and the many shops, the key was to find good stuff, for cheap and that will fit in my small bags. the plan didn't work very well, but in the end it all fit. i enjoyed great ice cream before returning to the hotel to drop of my bags, i was feeling like pretty woman carrying all these bags. it was after eight and stores were closing, making room for the restaurants. i stopped at a turkish place for a mediocre humus plate, but a great shwarma in a good grilled pita. the bread makes the difference. i walked a bit longer to better digest before returning to pack. '
total of a 100 k in 8 days over mountainous terrain, wild animals: dung beetles, some birds, worms, rabbit (on a plate) , 1 hiking gazelle, 1 like hunter , 1 Giant volcano, bushes, pines, cacti , rain forest, living in caves and up too steep hill surrounded by ocean. that ends my tenerife experience and country/destination number sixty.
cheers from the couch
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